Phonotactics gives a description for the permissible syllable structure, consonant clusters and vowel sequences and explains what role phonotactic constraints play in defining the legality of the sounds sequence. (Smolensky & Prince, 1993).

1. THE SOUNDS OF
SPEECH
PHONOTACTICS
Renajane N. De Isidro, LPT
Ma. Nichole L. Jugao, LPT
presenters

2. What is Phonotactics?

3. Phonotact
ics  Ancient Greek, phōnḗ "voice,
sound" and tacticós, also
spelled/known as
taktikós "having to do with
arranging.

4.  the study of the ways in
which phonemes are allowed to
combine in a particular language.
Phonotact
ics

5.  Phonotactics is a branch of
phonology that discusses the
restrictions in a language on the
permissible combinations of
phonemes (Celata & Basilio,
2015).
Phonotact
ics

6.  Phonotactics gives a
description for the permissible
syllable structure, consonant
clusters and vowel sequences
and explains what role
phonotactic constraints play in
defining the legality of the
sounds sequence. (Smolensky &
Prince, 1993).
Phonotact
ics

7.  In each language, there are a
number of patterns in the types
of sound combinations
permitted.
Create new
words:
But not:
vig fsig
las rnig
Phonotact
ics

8.  “phonotactic knowledge leads to
enhanced speech processing
enables us to use phonotactic
learning and generalization as a
means to better understand how
humans represent speech sounds
and sound sequences” (p. 138).
Phonotact
ics

9.  Languages are subject to
phonotactic constraints, which are
restrictions on sound sequences
(Goldrick, 2004).
Phonotact
ics

10.  According to Goldrick, these
constraints could be acquired
through exposure to a set of
syllables which he described
as an implicit learning
paradigm. These constraints
can apply to nonsense words,
too.
Phonotact
ics

11.  Accidental gaps are words that
do not exist in a language and
are not part of its lexicon, but
its sounds sequence is legal
and does not violate its
phonotactic.
Accidenta
l Gap

12.  It refers to segments
that cannot exist
because the sound
system does not allow it
(Iverson & Salmons,
2005).
Systemati
cs gaps

13.  Over time, a language may undergo
phonotactic variation and change.
 Daniel Schreier points out, “Old
English phonotactics admitted a variety
of consonantal sequences that are no
longer found in contemporary varieties"
(Consonant Change in English
Worldwide, 2005).

14.  Phonotactic constraints
are rules and restrictions
concerning the ways in
which syllables can be
created in a language.
Understanding
Phonotactic
Constraints

15.  Elizabeth Zsiga, a linguist,
observes that languages "do not
allow random sequences of
sounds; rather, the sound
sequences a language allows are
a systematic and predictable part
of its structure.“
Understanding
Phonotactic
Constraints

16.  Elizabeth Zsiga, a linguist,
observes that languages "do not
allow random sequences of
sounds; rather, the sound
sequences a language allows are
a systematic and predictable part
of its structure.“
Understanding
Phonotactic
Constraints

17.  Phonotactic constraints determine
the syllable structure of a
language.
 Some languages (e.g. English)
allow consonant cluster others (e.g.
Maori) do not.
Phonotactic
Constraints

18.  English consonant clusters are
themselves subject to a number of
phonotactic constraints.
There are constraints in terms of length
Example : twelfths /twεlfθs/
(four is the maximum
number of consonants in a cluster)
Phonotactic
Constraints

19.  Many of the phonotactic limitations
are arbitrary, not involving articulation,
but depending only on the idiosyncrasies
of the language in question.
Arbitrary
Phonotactic Constr
aints

20.  English words like knife and knee are
pronounced /naɪf/ and /ni/. Historically, they
did have the initial /k/, which is still present
in several sister languages. Phonotactic
restrictions are thus not necessarily due
to any articulatory difficulty, because what
cannot be said in one language can be said
in another.
Arbitrary
Phonotactic Constr
aints

21. IPA
International Phonetic
Alphabet

22. International Phonetic Alphabet
 International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA), an
alphabet developed in the 19th century to
accurately represent the pronunciation
of languages. One aim of the IPA was to
provide a unique symbol for each distinctive
sound in a language—that is, every sound,
or phoneme, that serves to distinguish one
word from another.

23. International Phonetic Alphabet
 Its creators’ intent was to standardize the
representation of spoken language thereby
sidestepping the confusion caused by the
inconsistent conventional spellings used in
every language.

24.  The IPA can be used for broad and narrow
transcription.
 In English there is only one t sound distinguished
by native speakers. Therefore, only one symbol is
needed in a broad transcription to indicate
every t sound. If there is a need to transcribe
narrowly in English, diacritical marks can be added
to indicate that the t’s in the words tap, pat,
and stem differ slightly in pronunciation.

25. Voicing of English Consonant

26. Voicing of English Consonant

28. English Vowels

29. English Vowels
 Examples:

30. Diphthongs

31. Diphthongs
 Examples:

32. Triphthongs

33. Triphthongs
 Examples:

34. Quick IPA Practice:
1. [hit]
2. [ʃrɪŋk]
3. [ræθ]
4. [tʃʌmp]
5. [fejz]
1. hit
2. shrink
3. wrath
4. chump
5. phase

35. Quick IPA Practice:
1. [tu tɑlk əv mɛni θɪŋz]
to talk of many things
2. [kæbəgəz ænd kɪŋz]
cabbages and kings
3. [wɛθər pɪgz hæv wɪŋz]
whether pigs have wings

36. References:
1. https://www.thoughtco.com/phonotactics-
phonology-term-4071087
2. https://people.umass.edu/scable/LING201-
SP18/Slides-Handouts/Syllables-P…
3. https://www.britannica.com/topic/International
-Phonetic-Alphabet
4. https://old.liu.se/ikk/english/files/Course+Webpa
ges/english-
3/1.206147/CompendiumVowelsConsonantsof
English.pdf